There are a number of books on tennis, but none has heretofore been
written for the young girl just starting in to play. It may be argued
that the game is the same for both boy and girl, therefore the same
book will do for both. This is true to a certain extent. But just as
there is a difference in the finished game, so there is a difference
in the early training; and I believe that, properly started, a girl’s
game may be developed to the point where it is much more like the boy’s
game than it is at present. Tennis is a game requiring a quick eye and
good judgment. Now a boy’s eye is naturally trained to judge a ball in
flight; he plays at some kind of ball game from the day he is strong
enough to toss one. His body, too, responds more readily to what his
eye tells him he must do. Therefore, a girl has to spend more time
and attention in developing her “eye,” and in learning to get quick
and accurate response from her muscles. There is no good reason why a
girl should not be as quick as her brother; it is merely a matter of
training.